Why we need to build a bridge between seed companies and smallholders

“The problem is, not only the costs of seeds are high, there’s also a gap in terms of seed access. Small-holder farmers live in remote areas making it difficult for them to have a hold of high-quality seeds.

At this point, the private seed companies, despite their initial efforts, still have to do more in bridging these gaps.

From the perspective of the seed companies, Ido Verhagen, executive director of the Access to Seeds Foundation, revealed that the seed industry is active in all countries except for Western Africa, where there is clearly a gap in terms of high-quality seed access.

Mr. Verhagen also revealed that developing country smallholder farmers still save and reuse seeds and that they prefer to buy seeds from local markets and not from commercial seed companies.

In addition, he also mentioned that despite the leadership of some companies to address the small-holder farmers’ need, there is still a lack of tailored approaches that will help reach the emerging market. Only 4 out of 7 top global seed companies have business activities in developing countries.”